China’s motor vehicle fleet is growing at over 20 percent per year.

The Transportation Program supports China’s policy efforts to reduce carbon emissions and improve air quality from the transportation sector by promoting cleaner vehicles and alternative transportation options, including advanced bus rapid transit systems (BRT). This includes policy development to encourage advanced, electric-drive vehicles through stringent fuel economy standards, tighter vehicle emissions regulations, and enhanced research and development budgets. The program supports efforts to establish robust local air emissions monitoring policies and local “zero-emissions vehicle” incentives to encourage the most advanced hybrid-electric drive automobiles and buses. The program also responds to the urgent need for transportation system reform in Chinese cities by encouraging the establishment of exclusive lane, station-to-station BRT systems.

Source: China Automotive Industry Yearbook, 1985-2003

As China’s economy continues to grow and the average income of urban Chinese families continues to rise, the number of vehicles on China’s roads keeps increasing. There are now 31 million vehicles on the road in China, and that number is projected to reach 150 million by 2030. As China is forced to meet these vehicles’ fuel demand with increasing oil imports, China’s energy security grows on a fragile footing.